It
makes me feel comfortable even when I know they are lying. But I
should really feel hurt if I thought Mr Cheney had not meant what he
said. I don't believe he knows much about women, or about himself
lower than his brain. He has never studied his heart. He is all
ambition. If an ambitious and unsophisticated youth of twenty-five
or twenty-eight does get infatuated with a woman of my age--he is a
perfect toy in her hands. Ah, well, we shall see what we shall see."
And the Baroness finished her massage in cold cream, and put her
blonde head on the pillow and went sound asleep.
After that first tete-a-tete supper the fair widow managed to see
Preston at least once or twice a week. She sent for him to ask his
advice on business matters, she asked him to aid her in changing the
position of the furniture in a room when the servants were all busy,
and she invited him to her private parlour for lunch every Sunday
afternoon. It was during one of these chats over cake and wine that
the young man spoke of Berene. The Baroness had dropped some remarks
about her servants, and Preston said, in a casual tone of voice which
hid the real interest he felt in the subject, "By the way, one of
your servants has quite an unusual voice. I have heard her singing
about the halls a few times, and it seems to me she has real talent.
Pages:
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30